Pomp and Circumstance
by aLLiCaT225
Summary: Riley’s got a case of the jitters the night before the biggest day of his life: High School Graduation. Oneshot. AU TeenBRiley. Slash.


**A/N: Hey there everyone! So I figured this fic was appropriate seeing as some of you may be graduating this year. I wish I was but, alas, I have to sit through one more year of Hell—I mean High School before I'm so lucky. But, anyway. I had this idea in my head for quite some time and I must've started this fic over and over again. Then I just kinda abandoned the idea, but it was doomed to be with me until the day I was buried unless I did something about it. It also turned out to be a lot longer than I had expected. This story definitely had a mind of its own. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing relating to National Treasure is mine. So don't sue cuz, well I got nothing. : ) **

"Riley! Are you still up? It's a quarter-past midnight!"

"I'm just putting a few finishing touches on my speech, Ma. I'll be done in a minute." Riley called from his bedroom.

The techie heard his mother sigh. "Well, alright. Just hurry up. You have a big day coming up tomorrow and you don't want to fall asleep half way through it."

"Yeah, well I also don't want my Valedictorian speech to suck either," He countered.

Riley swore he could hear his mother roll her eyes before she stomped down the stairs. The computer nerd remained still until the sound of footsteps could no longer be heard; indicating that his mom was settled in front of the TV to watch whatever late-night talk show was on at this hour. He reached across his bed for his laptop and began on his 27th game of Solitaire.

Ok, so maybe Riley had stretched the truth just a _teeny_ bit. But it was for his own good. If Riley would've told his mother he was having trouble sleeping before his "Big day", she would've barged in and made the techie try some weird relaxation technique, like looking at a picture of a swan, or rubbing honey on his thighs or something strange like that. And it's not like Riley's speech wasn't done. In fact, he had finalized it weeks ago. No harm, no foul. Right?

Although, right now, Riley was almost wishing that he hadn't finished his speech. At least that would've given him something to do. Not, that Solitaire wasn't entertaining, but Riley had the attention span of a fruit fly with ADD and now that he was going on to his 28th game, he was about to explode from boredom. That and, the anxiety of the impending day ahead of him grew with every passing moment.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Riley Poole _never_ got nervous like this. But something about graduating high school was so…final. It was the end of an era, and the beginning of a new, scary one called his 'future.' Just the thought of it, the uncertainty that it held, made the techie cringe.

Riley's head was pounding now. He exited out of his game and shut his laptop, the lack of light making his head feel a little bit better, but not much. The tech whiz needed a new way to keep himself occupied.

"Why don't we see what my 'ole pal, Ben is up too," Riley thought aloud, grabbing his cell phone off the nightstand and dialing his best friend's number; his best friend that he's secretly had feelings for, for years now. It rang three times before Ben finally picked up.

"Ugh…Hullo?" Ben answered sleepily, the sound of his voice making Riley's heart flip-flop.

"Heeeyyy, Ben." His voice wavered a little when he spoke and he prayed that Ben was too tired to notice anything.

"Riley? Do you know what time it is?"

"Yes it's," The techie glanced back and his clock radio. The green LED numbers blared 12:23 AM. "12:30. so, what are you up to?"

"Sleeping. Which is what you should be doing right now."

"Ew, Ben, you sound like my mom." Riley teased, hoping that his use of sarcasm was enough to distract Ben from thinking something was wrong.

He heard Ben sigh, followed by the rustling of sheets. "Ok, Ri, what's wrong?" Crap.

"Nothing's wrong, Ben," the techie lied. He got up off his bed and walked over to the window that resided in the far corner of his room.

"No, seriously, what is it? You can tell me." Ben insisted. "Do you need more help with your speech or—"

Riley sighed and gave in. "No, it's not the speech. I finished that weeks ago. I just can't sleep. Nerves I guess."

"You, nervous? That's like me failing a history test," Ben jeered playfully. "It _never_ happens."

The computer geek leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window. "Yeah, I know. I'm just as confused as you are."

Pause.

"You know what? I think I'm gunna go take a walk. Help clear my head and stuff. Sorry I woke you—"

"You're not going by yourself," Ben interrupted a lot sharper then he had intended.

"Ok, _now_ you _really_ sound like my mother," Riley said as he started to put one shoe on.

"Do you remember what happened the last time you went on a walk by yourself at night?" _Crap, _Ben thought. _I really do sound like Mrs. Poole._

"Hm, where is my other shoe?" The techie deliberately dodged Ben's question and continued to search for his single Converse sneaker under a pile of dirty (or clean, for all he knew) laundry.

"I'll take that as a 'Yes'," Ben chuckled. "I'll meet you in front of your house in ten minutes. Ok? Don't leave 'til I'm there!"

"Oh _here_ it is…"

"Riley!"

"Relax, Ben I heard you," Riley laughed, flattered that Ben cared so much. "I won't go anywhere. I promise. I don't want a repeat of last time."

"Ok, just making sure. See you in ten minutes."

* * *

"So, tell me what's on your mind. I'm all ears." Ben instructed as he and Riley made their way down the softly illuminated street. The street lights cast eerie shadows that made the entire stretch of road ahead of them look very dreamlike and surreal.

"I don't really know where to begin, there's a lot of stuff on my mind." Riley confessed as he kicked a loose stone across the pavement as he walked_._ "I've just kinda felt really down lately."

"What's there to feel down about?" Ben spread his arms wide and looked around as if presenting the techie with the big picture. "We're graduating high school tomorrow! We're gunna be college men! That's something you should be excited about."

"But I don't want to leave this stuff behind; all my friends, this neighborhood…you."

"…Oh."

Riley sighed and just shrugged. He knew Ben was right, and it's not like he didn't want to be happy. He just could shake the feeling of overwhelming sadness, and dread, and impending regret and rejection that loomed over his head like a stormy rain cloud. The techie sighed again and gave the rock one last hard kick. The tiny stone rolled off into the middle of the street, where it was swallowed by the midnight shadows.

The two friends walked in silence for a few minutes. It was a comfortable silence though; their silence moments were rarely ever awkward. No, this stillness was a rather contemplative one, each person lost in their own thoughts.

"Heh, remember that one summer when we spent every day here?"

Ben's voice shattered the computer geek's thoughts. He blinked and reality came back into focus. It took a few seconds, but Riley figured out what Ben was talking about. It was the small park that resided in the center of their little corner of suburbia. The two of them wasted their youth playing endlessly, on the old rusty swings, even rustier slide and small little sand box.

"Those were the days," Riley mused. "Race ya to the swings!" And with that, the techie took off full speed across the street towards the old swing set.

"Hey, no fair!" Ben called, taking off a few seconds after him. "You got a head start!"

"It's not my fault you're slow!" Riley shouted back.

Though, the techie's head start didn't matter. By the time they got to the swings, Ben was almost ahead of him. Exhausted, both of them collapsed on the grass in front of the swing set, breathing heavy and laughing even harder. Riley rolled over onto his back and gazed up at the stars; Ben propped himself up on one elbow and fixed his eyes on the computer geek.

Riley turned his head to meet Ben's gaze.

"What?"

Ben shrugged. "Nothing."

The techie bit his lip and faced the twinkling sky once more. And, after a few moments, Ben did too.

"Do you ever get the feeling like someone's hiding something from you?" Ben asked turning his head toward Riley again. "Almost like, you're not getting the whole story?" He raised one eyebrow and glared pointedly at the tech whiz.

Riley squirmed uncomfortably under Ben's piercing stare. He could hear his accelerated heart rate pounding loudly in his ears.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Riley fibbed. "I told you, I'm just nervous about tomorrow."

Ben stood up. "Bullshit. I know there's something else. You've been acting very un-Riley these past few weeks. So I want to know what it is you're not telling me."

Riley was getting angry now. "Ok, you want to know why I've been acting weird," He stood up and shouted, getting right in Ben's face. "I'm _scared_, Ben. I'm scared to move forwards with my life, to take the next step, get out of my comfort zone. Why do you think I've been hiding my feelings for you all these years?!" The techie froze. Had he really just admitted his biggest and, what had been until now, best kept secret? The dumbfounded expression that had taken over Ben's features told him that was a 'Yes.'

"Oh my god…I can't believe I just—Ben, I-I'm sorry." Tears started to stream down Riley's red-with-embarrassment cheeks. He looked down at his Converse, anything to avoid Ben's eyes at this moment. He much would have preferred to take off full speed in the opposite direction, but his Chuck Taylor clad feet were nailed to the ground.

A gentle hand brushed Riley's cheek, wiping the stray tears off his youthful face. The feel of it was enough to send shivers down the techie's spine. Without lifting his head all the way, Riley looked up to meet Ben's blue eyes with his own.

"Was that so hard?" Ben asked in a breathy whisper.

"I-I guess not," Riley began. "But I still don't understand how—"

But the techie never got to finish that sentence because he was cut off by Ben crushing his lips up against his own in a head-spinning, mind-blowing, heart-melting kiss.

When they pulled away, Ben looked down at Riley and smiled.

"So, how are those nerves now?"

Riley laughed and said, with a wink: "What nerves?"

**A/N: R&R please and I will love you forever!! **


End file.
